The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

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Selenium, genetics, and aggressive prostate cancer

Genetics appear to influence the risk of aggressive prostate cancer in men taking selenium supplements, according to collaborators at cancer centers across the US.

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Massage + manipulation to treat scleroderma

In scleroderma (aka systemic sclerosis), immune cells create scar tissue in the skin, internal organs, and small blood vessels.

Researchers from the University of Florence, in Italy evaluated the benefits of a rehabilitation program that combined connective tissue massage and Mc Mennell joint manipulation modified for scleroderma patients’ hands.

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Massage for low back pain

 Massage might be beneficial for patients with subacute and chronic nonspecific low back pain, especially when combined with exercises and education, according to reviewers from Ontario and Brazil.

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Use of herbals in women undergoing IVF

 In the absence of specific evidence, it’s probably safe to assume that women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures are taking herbal medicines.

That’s my conclusion based on the results of this survey of women in an Irish infertility treatment center by researchers at BC Women’s Hospital, in Vancouver, Canada.

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Benefits of yoga in asthmatic children

 Researchers from the Chung Jen College of Nursing, in Taiwan report improved physical fitness of school-age children with asthma.

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Is there a cranberry:beta-lactam interaction?

 Drinking cranberry juice is often recommended along with taking low-dose antibiotics to prevent recurrent urinary tract infection.

Researchers from the University of Washington, in Seattle evaluated the potential risk of an interaction between cranberry juice and the β-lactam antibiotics, amoxicillin (amoxicilline, Amoxil) and cefaclor (Ceclor) that might lower the effectiveness of the antibiotics.

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Biofeedback: Constipation and fecal incontinence

 Researchers from the University Hospital, in Tübingen, Germany, reviewed the evidence.

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Effect of the Mediterranean diet on longevity

Here are the results from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons) Diet and Health Study.

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Little evidence supports CAM for childhood headaches

 Dr. Stewart Tepper from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio reports that “parents frequently ask healthcare professionals to provide ‘natural’ migraine care for their children.”

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